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Gophs with third easiest schedule in Big Ten

"Thoughts: The non-conference slate is tougher than you think. But the Golden Gophers are set to keep rising with a favorable crossover slate that avoids Michigan and Ohio State."

I like that we get Fresno State after we open on a Thursday at home vs an FCS team and they open on the road vs USC on a Saturday. They will go all out to knock off USC, will have to show a lot on film. If they win, possible emotional let down vs us...we get a chance to beat a ranked team. We have to travel, but get two extra days than FSU to recover, prepare.

Wisconsin went out there in 2008 ranked #10 and took on FSU ranked #21...Badgers eked out a 13-10 win (Badgers ended up 7-6, was year Brew almost beat them in Madison)...42,000 in Bulldog Stadium for Bucky game...if they beat USC and Gophers travel as I expect (from here and from surrounding region), could be a similar sized crowd...announced attendance at TCF for FSU game was 38,000

For you are one of the chosen ones, my son. Please carry my other messages forward and spread them across the land.

Thou shall not root for the Badgers under any circumstances, whatsoever. Doing so will bring upon my wrath and you suffer from the same plague of obesity, stupidity, and ugliness of the one who leads the razorbacks.

Really like how the conference schedule shapes up in 2019. Of course, there's a ton to happen between now and then, but if I were going to bucket the games:

Likely wins (we should be favored by more than a TD): vs South Dakota State, vs GSU, vs Illinois, at Rutgers
Toss-ups (probably a touchdown either way): at Fresno State, at Purdue, vs Nebraska, vs Maryland, at Northwestern, vs Wisconsin
Likely losses (we might be underdogs by more than a TD): vs Penn State (but only barely - maybe like a 7-10 point favorite since it's at TCF), at Iowa

we need MSU, MI, OSU, IN to be good in the East! need PSU, RU, MD to be down

Purdue gets a bye before they play us, but we get that same bye week... going to Nevada to open...Jay Norvell could surprise...Boilers also put Vandy and TCU on their non-con sked....has to go to Happy Valley...gets Indiana every year as locked in rival, gets MD

Northwestern gets U Mass before us...going SEC style with late season cupcake...they do open at Stanford, get Ohio State on a Friday nite in Evanston...gets MSU, at IN, at WI, at NE

Iowa plays Rutgers week 2, goes to Ames, goes to Ann Arbor, then gets Penn State the next week...has to play Friday after Thanksgiving in Lincoln

Bucky with Michigan week 4, MSU week 7, at OSU week 9, at NE

Nebraska does get OSU, at MD, IN...at MN and at Purdue...MN vs NE at TCF could decide Big Ten West

Really like how the conference schedule shapes up in 2019. Of course, there's a ton to happen between now and then, but if I were going to bucket the games:

Likely wins (we should be favored by more than a TD): vs South Dakota State, vs GSU, vs Illinois, at Rutgers
Toss-ups (probably a touchdown either way): at Fresno State, at Purdue, vs Nebraska, vs Maryland, at Northwestern, vs Wisconsin
Likely losses (we might be underdogs by more than a TD): vs Penn State (but only barely - maybe like a 7-10 point favorite since it's at TCF), at Iowa

I'm more intimidated by @Northwestern than I am Penn State at home. Gophers have had next to no luck against the Cats recently, even when the Gophs became a buzzsaw at the end of the year. Gophers haven't even scored a point in Evanston in the past 2 meetings. NW's 8-1 B1G record this year wasn't an accident. Right now Northwestern is the team to beat in the West.

we need MSU, MI, OSU, IN to be good in the East! need PSU, RU, MD to be down

Purdue gets a bye before they play us, but we get that same bye week... going to Nevada to open...Jay Norvell could surprise...Boilers also put Vandy and TCU on their non-con sked....has to go to Happy Valley...gets Indiana every year as locked in rival, gets MD

Northwestern gets U Mass before us...going SEC style with late season cupcake...they do open at Stanford, get Ohio State on a Friday nite in Evanston...gets MSU, at IN, at WI, at NE

Iowa plays Rutgers week 2, goes to Ames, goes to Ann Arbor, then gets Penn State the next week...has to play Friday after Thanksgiving in Lincoln

Bucky with Michigan week 4, MSU week 7, at OSU week 9, at NE

Nebraska does get OSU, at MD, IN...at MN and at Purdue...MN vs NE at TCF could decide Big Ten West

The opposite is true.
We need PSU, RU, and MD to win.
If we just beat weak teams, we'll never get any good attention.

I'm more intimidated by @Northwestern than I am Penn State at home. Gophers have had next to no luck against the Cats recently, even when the Gophs became a buzzsaw at the end of the year. Gophers haven't even scored a point in Evanston in the past 2 meetings. NW's 8-1 B1G record this year wasn't an accident. Right now Northwestern is the team to beat in the West.

we were vegas favorites vs NW...it was 13-7 at the start of the 4th quarter and we had the ball midfield...not exactly intimidating...very winnable game, especially if Donnell greene wasnt limping his way thru the game..we threw a pick inside their 20, threw a pick at midfield, couldn't convert a 4th and 1 inside their 30, missed a fg, another bad fumble inside our 30...couldnt punch it in and settled for a fg after first and goal inside the 5... we kicked their ass in 2016, beat them solidly in 2014.

"Thoughts: The non-conference slate is tougher than you think. But the Golden Gophers are set to keep rising with a favorable crossover slate that avoids Michigan and Ohio State."

I like that we get Fresno State after we open on a Thursday at home vs an FCS team and they open on the road vs USC on a Saturday. They will go all out to knock off USC, will have to show a lot on film. If they win, possible emotional let down vs us...we get a chance to beat a ranked team. We have to travel, but get two extra days than FSU to recover, prepare.

Wisconsin went out there in 2008 ranked #10 and took on FSU ranked #21...Badgers eked out a 13-10 win (Badgers ended up 7-6, was year Brew almost beat them in Madison)...42,000 in Bulldog Stadium for Bucky game...if they beat USC and Gophers travel as I expect (from here and from surrounding region), could be a similar sized crowd...announced attendance at TCF for FSU game was 38,000

we were vegas favorites vs NW...it was 13-7 at the start of the 4th quarter and we had the ball midfield...not exactly intimidating...very winnable game, especially if Donnell greene wasnt limping his way thru the game..we threw a pick inside their 20, threw a pick at midfield, couldn't convert a 4th and 1 inside their 30, missed a fg, another bad fumble inside our 30...couldnt punch it in and settled for a fg after first and goal inside the 5... we kicked their ass in 2016, beat them solidly in 2014.

Having just won the West and with several starters held out for injury, Northwestern was playing about as basic and conservative as could be. The game was not in the Gophers’ control really at any point. It was actually fairly similar the the 2016 game you cite, just the opposite outcome. NU gave up yards due to second string prevent defense, but as you wrote, anytime they really needed a stop they got it. That said, Northwestern is rarely ever going to just destroy B1G opponents because they can only access a fraction of the recruiting pool as anyone else in the B1G.